Corine R Corpora

Practice Areas

• Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation

• ESOPs

• Corporate Law

Career

Corine Corpora has been actively involved in the employee benefits community for over 30 years. Corine represents all sizes of privately and publicly held organizations in the manufacturing, health care, financial, food and beverage, and entertainment industries, among others. She counsels clients on qualified and nonqualified retirement plans, welfare and fringe benefit plans, and executive compensation, as well as incentive and stock-based compensation and rewards programs. She also advises clients on the complex rules governing employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs), represents diverse parties in ESOP corporate transactions, and counsels several wholly and partially ESOP-owned clients. Corine works directly with corporate executives and senior human resource and benefits personnel, as well as clients’ accountants, actuaries, and other service providers to resolve corporate and benefits-related issues in an effective, efficient, and understandable manner. Corine also assists clients with mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance and financial matters and serves as an advisor to various Board committees.

Professional Memberships

Corine is honored to be actively involved in professional organizations that both sharpen her skills and allow her to give back to others.

• As a member of the Internal Revenue Service TE/GE Advisory Counsel, Corine is among the first to hear about current focus areas and policy changes directly from employees in the various governmental agencies relating to employee benefit plans. She also has developed contacts in specialized departments of the agencies with whom she can connect with questions and proposals.

• As a Regular Member of the Advisory Committee on Administration for The ESOP Association (TEA), Corine provides legal counsel to the group relating to the complexities of ESOP administration, and is responsible for producing content to be shared with TEA members throughout the year.

• Corine appreciates the opportunity to contribute to the employee benefits community with her active participation in the Worldwide Employee Benefit Network (WEB), an educational and networking organization for employee benefits professionals. She serves on both WEB’s National Board and has been a member of her local chapter’s (Northeast Ohio) Steering Committee, serving in various leadership roles for more than 25 years. Corine has been actively involved with strategic planning, programming, membership, leadership training, budgeting, and marketing among other aspects of the organization from the numerous positions she has held over the years, including as WEB’s National President for four years.

Work Highlights

Over the course of her career, Corine has enjoyed close relationships with many clients, which have guided her career path from technical employee benefits advisor to trusted business advisor. In addition to being clients’ go-to outside counsel for traditional employee benefit plan (retirement, health and welfare) questions, her practice has expanded to include compensation planning and design for rank and file employees, executives, and directors, including the creation of bonus plans, incentive programs, equity and phantom equity arrangements, and other nonqualified deferred compensation plans. Corine also has become involved in discussions of clients’ succession planning and ownership models (including alternatives to traditional ownership, such as employee ownership and perpetual trust stakeholders), which has expanded her experience into corporate governance, advising Board committees, planning and integration surrounding corporate transactions, and participating in strategic planning initiatives. Corine works with clients ranging from family-owned business to nonprofit organizations to Fortune 500 public companies. Her breadth and depth of experience provide her the tools to provide technical expertise, deliver sound business advice, and share best practices with clients, colleagues, service providers, and organizations for which she volunteers.